Partners in Health

Introduction: James D. Huysman, LCSW Dr. James D. (Jamie) Huysman’s dynamic career has bridged all media with progressive and innovative health services as a Psychologist, Board Certified Licensed Clinical Social Worker, compassion fatigue therapist, certified hypnotherapist, crisis interventionist and nationally certified addictions professional. His life has been dedicated to social advocacy and providing a voice for those with mental health challenges. He believes passionately in the resilience of the human spirit. He is an official spokesperson and writes many articles for the National Association of Social Workers. He also sits on the NASW committee to establish national protocols for certification and standardization of caregiving practices. Over the past year he has empowered family and professional caregivers across the country as part of the Brookdale Crosstrain Your Brain symposium series, the NCOA/ASA Aging in America Conference and The City of Albuquerque’s Annual Caregiver Conference, among a host of others. In 2008 he was honored with the NASW Social Worker of the Year Award in Miami/Dade County and the State of Florida. He speaks to all audiences on topics ranging from caregiver burnout, senior addiction, mental health challenges, mind, body & soul work, and corporate approaches to health and wellness. His dynamic style and presentation have made him a well-known international speaker and crowd favorite. His keynote addresses are compelling, motivational and passionate. Dr. Jamie is a practical, interactive, Jungian influenced therapist. His treatment approach is to facilitate the healing of his clients and to assist them in resolving current problems and long-standing patterns. He incorporates a blend of conventional and alternative approaches, drawing upon a variety of styles and techniques to incorporate what will be most helpful for each client. To stay in sync with direct service and the human condition, he works with individuals, couples and families, using innovative psychotherapeutic techniques. The client-doctor relationship is the essence of all of his work throughout the years. Staying connected to the resilience of the human spirit is a vital effort in his presentation and administrative life. Among his areas of expertise are caregiver innovations, mental health challenges, such as depression and bipolar disorder, and treatment of addictions and co-addictions of all types. In 2003, Dr. Huysman co-founded the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation with his friend and colleague, Leeza Gibbons. Serving as the Foundation’s Executive Director, he created the LGMF signature program, Leeza’s Place, a non-clinical, psychosocial, drop-in model, that with his guidance and vision became a community oasis for caregivers and the newly diagnosed in nine communities and five states from 2004 - 2008. While overseeing the LGMF national program, thousands of caregivers were served and supported across the country, free of charge. His intergenerational work with adolescents, adults and seniors served as a vital component for his work with LGMF. Jamie co-authored Take Your Oxygen First – Protecting Your Health & Happiness While Caring for a Loved One with Memory Loss, with Leeza Gibbons and geriatrician Dr. Rosemary Laird, from LaChance Publishing. Upon its release in May of 2009, it went straight to #1 on Amazon and stayed there for two weeks in the categories of eldercare, aging parents and Alzheimer’s Disease. A regular contributor to Today’s Caregiver Magazine, Jamie was featured in the the American Management Association’s tome on leadership, The 100 Mile Walk – A New Look at Leadership. Also noteworthy are his contributions to Voices of Alcoholism and Voices of Caregiving from The Healing Project’s “Voices of…” book series. He continues to serve as an adjunct professor at Florida International University, clinically overseeing Doctoral students throughout South Florida. Dr Jamie has presented on TV, radio and at many national conferences since 1991, appearing on hundreds of talk, court and reality shows. Recently a host of Health Corner, sponsored by Walgreens, for Lifetime Television, he was featured in 75+ segments on aging and caregiving. Appearing as a clinical expert on more than one hundred nationally syndicated talk shows, he has been referred to as the “Robin Hood of Talk TV” because of his assistance to guests and viewers. Through TV Aftercare™, the first national network of healthcare providers designed to serve the wellness needs of the talk, court and reality show industry, he secured almost 7 million dollars of treatment for over 700 guests and their families. After The Geraldo Show he worked with Montel, The Leeza Show, Les Brown Show, Moral Court, Talk or Walk, Boy Meets Boy, The Rick Sanchez Show and Beyond with James Van Praagh. He also appeared as the relationship expert on Men Are from Mars, Women Are From Venus and worked again with his friend, Leeza Gibbons, on her Leeza Live radio show. He obtained his BA from the University of Florida, graduating cum laude; his MSW from Barry University, with high honors; and his PsyD from the California Southern University (formerly Southern California School of Professional Studies), also cum laude. He lives and maintains a private practice in Miami, Florida. =